One of the toughest tasks in the life of a college student is to attend and then, stay awake during a post-lunch-hour class. After a satisfying meal with friends on a sunny afternoon, we desire to rush back to our rooms and nap in a cozy comforter. But, as soon as lunch hour ends at 2:50 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I had to forfeit the chance of visiting my dream world and run to class. Usually, classes at such hours had a low turnout, owing to those who prioritize sleep over the lecture. And most of those who did attend ended up doodling, texting or well, sleeping in class.
But, Professor Madhavi Menon’s Great Books lecture did not follow this convention.
A class of a hundred students at 2:50 pm, Professor Menon’s lecture was worth giving up sleep for. A wave of energy rejuvenated me as soon as I watched the Professor enter class in her usual, elegant manner. She began each class with a three-question quiz that apparently was easy to answer but only upon a thorough reading of the text. After submitting the papers to the teaching assistant, there was a noisy chatter revolving around the answers. So, after every quiz ended, she would mockingly say, “Don’t forget to start chattering now!” cracking us up each time.
The class began with a general discussion about the assigned text revolving around the concepts of gender and sexuality. We began the semester with a fascinating text called the ‘Kamasutra’ that is, in fact, not just a sex manual! Contrary to popular belief, it addresses much more than the mere act of genital sex and talks about how seemingly unrelated acts such as basket weaving can be paralleled with ‘proper’ sexual relations. Basket weaving? Seems strange, right? But that is just the beginning of a roller coaster full of shocking revelations. We came across texts with themes that made us jump from our seats in astonishment and discomfort. Incest, the relation between sex and education, Freudian nightmares, horror, and sexuality were ideas that haunted us as we moved from one book to the other. Sufi poetry, Darwin, Descartes, and The Bible were just some of the texts we attempted to decode. Great literature combined with an interactive class and a knowledgeable, engaging professor was the recipe for a perfect learning atmosphere.
What was most fascinating about the class was that it seemed like a thriller movie. Students inhabited the role of an audience and attempted to predict certain portions of the discussion, yet, most of the class conversation remained new and adventurous. And of course, the climax always came as a shock to us. At one point, we would discuss how uncomfortable heels are to wear and at the next moment, we would speculate on the function of the heel, arriving at the conclusion that it ensured, that men would walk a step ahead of women. Although on some level, we all expected such twists and turns, we were still left baffled at the end of every class. Perturbed by the idea of the Oedipus Complexes and discovering how gaining knowledge was forbidden according to the Bible, we were left shocked to our cores. Finally, at 4:20 pm, we would reluctantly exit the class, attempting to recover from severe intellectual trauma!
Great Books with Professor Madhavi Menon is a phenomenal class that will force you to think and will definitely modify your outlook on the minutest details of life. The class made me realize that although there might not be accurate answers to everything, there are perfect questions that need to be asked.
Edited by: Vasudha Malani, UG 2019
Visual content curated by: Kangan Dhawan, UG 2020